The present invention relates to an apparatus that enables a user to download data from a digital receiver and to store the downloaded data.
The ATSC digital broadcast standard for digital television allows for the transmission of 19 Mbits/sec in an RF channel having a 6 MHZ bandwidth. Although this allocated bandwidth is adequate for a single analog NTSC television channel, the ATSC bit rate permits the same channel to support the concurrent transmission of several standard definition television (SDTV) programs (i.e., programs displayable with a resolution comparable to that of the NTSC analog program). Alternatively, the allocated bandwidth at the ATSC bit rate permits a channel to support the transmission of a single high definition television (HDTV) program at a time. Moreover, the ATSC digital broadcast standard permits data to be transmitted in the channel along with digital programming. Therefore, data packets may be multiplexed in the channel with video and audio program packets.
Various receivers, such as digital televisions, digital VCRs, and computers equipped with digital television tuner and demodulator cards, may receive the digital programming. Because data may be transmitted along with one or more programs in a digital RF channel, it is possible to transmit program content that includes data. Such program content, for example, may be a commercial with an embedded uniform resource locator (URL) associated with a website containing additional information about the product or service being advertised or may include a coupon for the advertised product.
Because the program content that includes the Internet address is broadcast in a digital RF channel, it is also receivable by digital receivers other than computers, such as digital televisions. However, typical digital televisions are not web enabled. Therefore, the user of such a digital television has no access to the additional information linked to the Internet address embedded in a received program if the user does not also have a computer with a tuner and demodulator card.
The present invention is directed to a device and method which permit remote access to data, such as an Internet address, embedded in a program received by a digital receiver.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a data retrieval system for retrieving data from a digital broadcast signal is provided. The digital broadcast signal includes at least one television programming packet and at least one data packet that contains the data. The data retrieval system comprises a digital receiver adapted to receive the digital broadcast signal and adapted to separate the data from the digital broadcast signal and further comprises a portable data storage device in communication with the digital receiver and adapted to receive the data from the digital receiver and further adapted to store the data.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a personal digital assistant has an input device, an output device, a memory, and a controller. The controller is arranged to read data at the input device which is acquired from a digital receiver that receives the data in a digital broadcast signal. The controller is further arranged to cause the data to be stored in the memory and to cause the data to be transferred from the memory to the output device.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of retrieving data transmitted in a digital broadcast signal comprises the steps of a) acquiring the data from a digital receiver that receives the digital broadcast signal; b) storing the data in a-memory that is separate from the digital receiver; and c) transferring the data from the memory to a computer that is separate from the digital receiver.